A woman who was the victim of a violent armed robbery near Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood is speaking out as police continue their search for the man who attacked her.
Becky O'Neill was walking to work on Oct. 9 near the hospital in the area of Garfield Street and 35th Avenue when she said a man jumped out of an alleyway and mugged her at gunpoint.
"A man came out of nowhere and he jumped on me. And then I kind of fought him off because he was grabbing my purse a lot but then I realized he had a gun and he put the gun in my face and on my head," O'Neill said.
Surveillance cameras from a nearby surgical center captured some of the alarming moments of the robbery, which happened around 8 a.m. After a physical struggle with the man, O'Neill said she threw her credit cards and cash and managed to run away, while the man hopped in a getaway car and drove off.
"He kind of got distracted and he went to get the cash off the ground and I kind of pushed him off me and then ran away," O'Neill said. "I ran into traffic and one of my coworkers just happened to be driving by and she saved me."
O'Neill, who works as a pharmacist, said hospital security helped make her feel comfortable going back to work, but she was left bruised and is still shaken up. Now she wants whoever did this to be caught as soon as possible.
"I just want them to be aware that this guy is out there. He has a gun and he is dangerous," O'Neill said.
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O'Neill said police are investigating the case and searching for the man who she described as about 20 to 25 years old and about 6-foot tall.
"We don't know who he is and if he's gonna do it again to someone else," she said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
